All posts tagged ‘Reiner Knizia’

My wife and I are known to break out a card game in the most unlikely places. Valentine’s day 2012 found us at our favorite local taco joint — Woody’s Tacos here in Vancouver, Washington — finishing off a plate of chilled octopus salad and a couple of shrimp tacos each. However as great as the food was (and it was grand), the main dish that evening was a little game by Reiner Knizia, published by Catalyst Gamelabs, called Merchants.

I always love breaking out a game in a restaurant, just for the incredulous stares you can generate from other people. While they are sitting at the bar slack-jawed watching another boring night of SportsCenter and calling it a date, my wife and I are usually having twice the fun. (Obviously you need to pick the restaurant carefully for this exercise, but that is for a different post.) Choosing a game to play in a restaurant, coffee shop or other public date-night location takes some consideration, and Merchants fits the bill perfectly.

Overview:Bakers Dozen is a simple math-based card game by the prolific game designer Reiner Knizia. Put your donuts into the proper stacks, but if a stack’s value goes over 13, you take the whole stack — including any moldy donuts. Get the most of a flavor or none at all to win.

Players: 3 to 6

Ages: 8 to adult

Playing Time: 30 minutes

Retail: $12.00

Rating: Like the donuts, it looks sweet but ultimately isn’t very filling.

Who Will Like It? It’s a cute little game that requires some addition skills and a small amount of strategy. Kids will like the donut-shaped cards and the box, but it’s mostly eye-candy. It might be handy for kids who are learning multiple-number addition as a fun exercise, but older players might not get as much out of it.